My husband is going shopping with me!

Hongzhuang suddenly burst into laughter, her clear laughter almost lifting the roof off.

"Hahaha, Jinbao'er, your friend is an honest man!"

"This is so cute. He looks big and burly, but he's really good at delivering things."

Jin Bao'er blushed so deeply that her ears turned bright red. She wished she could disappear into the ground and felt like dying.

In the end, Hongzhuang happily accepted the "big gift" that Zhao Yuheng had given her.

The two were led to a quiet lounge.

Hongzhuang casually flipped through Jinbao'er's manuscript. As she looked at it, she suddenly stopped and looked up with a half-smile.

"Jin Bao'er, is the 'dominant' character you wrote here based on the person behind you?"

Jin Bao'er was startled and almost dropped the water glass in her hand.

"Huh? No, no, Miss Hongzhuang, this is all fiction, pure fiction!"

Hongzhuang leaned closer, whispering and chuckling mischievously, like best friends gossiping.

"The one you described is a tough guy who's all talk and no action, but I think this one..."

She pointed to the upright figure outside the door, her eyes sharp.

"He looks fierce, but his eyes are practically dripping with tears when he looks at you, all sticky and affectionate."

"Jin Bao'er, isn't the prototype too obvious?"

Zhao Yuheng, standing outside the door, overheard the two whispering inside.

Every now and then, a silvery laugh could be heard, followed by two pairs of eyes shooting straight at him.

He wasn't annoyed; he just scratched his head sheepishly, revealing a set of big white teeth, his eyes full of indulgence.

……

"Jin Bao'er, you write very well, you have talent."

Although he hadn't actually read a single word, he figured he could just praise his own kid.

Hongzhuang put down the manuscript and made the decision.

"Alright, I'll accept this disciple."

"If you have any questions about writing in the future, especially about how to handle those blush-inducing and heart-pounding emotional scenes, just ask me on WeChat."

Jin Bao'er's eyes lit up instantly, filled with surprise.

"Really? You don't mind that the subject matter I wrote... is rather niche?"

Hongzhuang patted Jinbao'er on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.

"Silly brother, this is exactly what readers like these days."

"As long as the feelings are genuine, people will read whatever you write."

"Besides, with such a good 'living resource,' why not make good use of it?"

She turned and shouted towards the door.

"Hey, you big oaf!"

"From now on, when Jinbao'er lacks inspiration for her book, you'll have to cooperate more, understand?"

Zhao Yuheng immediately stood up straight, as if he had heard a military order.

"I'll cooperate! I'll cooperate however I want!"

"I'll do whatever you tell me to do!"

……

When I came out of the red makeup studio, it was still early, and the setting sun had dyed the streets a warm gold.

"Heng-ge, we're all out now, how about we go shopping?"

Jin Bao'er clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice soft.

Actually, he had a little something going on in his mind. Shopping is something that young couples often do, and he wanted to try it with Heng Ge.

Zhao Yuheng glanced down at him, his deep eyes reflecting Jin Bao'er's expectant little face.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he answered crisply.

"OK."

This was Jin Bao'er's first real trip around northern Beijing since starting university.

The two squeezed onto a slow-moving bus and arrived at the busiest pedestrian street.

The streets were lined with all sorts of food stalls, and the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes and the sweet smell of sugar-roasted chestnuts filled the air.

A dazzling array of trinkets were displayed by the roadside, each one catching Jinbao'er's eye.

He's like a hamster just released from its cage, curious about everything.

He was poor when he was young and buried himself in his studies every day in high school, so he hardly ever saw the world.

Jin Bao'er looked at the jewelry store on the left and the doll store on the right, peering through the glass of each store for a long time.

Zhao Yuheng followed behind with his hands in his pockets, keeping a respectful distance, like a dutiful guardian.

After visiting several stores, Jinbao'er was already carrying two or three paper bags.

He suddenly realized there was no movement behind him. He turned around and saw Zhao Yuheng leaning against a lamppost, raising his hand to cover half of his face and yawning widely.

"Heng-ge, are you very tired?"

Jin Bao'er immediately went over and reached out to touch his arm.

"If you're tired, let's go back and stop shopping."

"It's okay, I'm not tired."

Zhao Yuheng lowered his hand and rubbed Jin Bao'er's head. The warmth of his palm made Jin Bao'er's heart tremble.

"Let's look around some more, you seem pretty happy."

He did stay up all night last night.

His dad's stubborn old computer had a problem and insisted that he help troubleshoot it remotely, which took him half the night to fix.

I don't know what kind of weird website the old man visited behind his back; his computer is full of all sorts of weird viruses.

"Heng-ge, Heng-ge, come here quickly!"

Jin Bao'er's eyes suddenly lit up, and she rushed into a jewelry store, waving excitedly at him.

Zhao Yuheng immediately perked up and strode over.

"Heng-ge, let me buy you a good luck charm. You can hang it on your backpack."

Jin Bao'er held a small tiger amulet made of peach wood and waved it in front of Zhao Yuheng.

"Okay, you can hang it wherever you want."

Zhao Yuheng didn't seem to be in high spirits; his eyelids were drooping.

I've never felt like this even when I stay up late. Today, I guess I've let my guard down, and sleepiness is washing over me like a tidal wave.

"Then... hang it on your waistband?"

Jin Bao'er asked tentatively.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuheng's listless expression brightened instantly, and his drowsiness vanished by more than half.

He pulled Jin Bao'er close by the waist, drew him into his arms, and whispered in his ear.

"Then I'll hang you on my waistband and carry you in my pocket every day."

Warm breath sprayed on her earlobe, and Jin Bao'er's body went limp.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Yuheng gave Jin Bao'er a solid pat on her pert buttocks.

With a crisp yet ambiguous "snap," the sound was both clear and suggestive.

Jin Bao'er was startled, like a frightened rabbit, and quickly glanced around.

Seeing that everyone was busy picking out things and no one was paying attention to them, they breathed a sigh of relief.

His face flushed, he glared at Zhao Yuheng, and quickly picked up two identical amulets to pay the bill.

……

There were more people on the bus back than on the way there.

Zhao Yuheng naturally held onto the handrail with one hand and used the other to protect Jin Bao'er, creating a small safe space around him.

"Brother Heng, where did you get that ginseng?"

Jin Bao'er was astonished by Heng Ge's actions; she hadn't noticed he was carrying such a large box the whole way.

"Didn't you say you were going to send her something? So I prepared a little something."

Zhao Yuheng spoke casually.

Jin Bao'er thought to himself, "This is hardly 'a little preparation,' the box is big enough to fit him inside."

His understanding of "slightly" and Heng Ge's understanding are probably from different dimensions.

"What do you think of this 'Red Makeup' lady?"

As Zhao Yuheng spoke, he habitually ruffled Jin Bao'er's extremely short buzz cut, finding it very pleasant to the touch and clearly fond of it.

"I love it!"

As Jin Bao'er answered, she nodded frantically, her eyes sparkling.

"That's Hongzhuang, a top author on Tomato Novels!"

"Not to mention earning millions a year, each book is worth millions."

"I'd be content if I could write something as popular as her."

"That's good."

After Zhao Yuheng finished speaking, he noticed there were empty seats and pulled Jinbao to sit down.

She quickly leaned back in her chair, exhausted, and tilted her head slightly toward Jinbao'er.

Jin Bao'er was still immersed in the excitement of becoming an apprentice, chattering about her future plans.

Just as he was about to turn around and thank Heng for his support, he realized that the person next to him had already gone silent.

Zhao Yuheng was so tired that he fell asleep.

I saw Heng Ge with his arms crossed over his chest, nodding his head back and forth.

Finally, seemingly feeling uncomfortable, it simply turned its head to the side, gently rubbing its cheek against Jin Bao'er's shoulder, and found a comfortable position to stay still.

As Zhao Yuheng slept, his brows and eyes relaxed, appearing more than ten times gentler than usual.

It used to be a grumpy, big wolfhound, but now it's like a gentle, docile wolfhound that's been stroked.

Jin Bao'er held her breath, not daring to breathe too loudly, for fear of disturbing his peaceful dream.

He secretly took out his phone, took a picture of Heng Ge sleeping, and set it as his screensaver.

……

Back in his dorm, Zhao Yuheng was too lazy to even take a shower. He just rinsed his feet and collapsed onto the bed.

Jin Bao'er didn't disturb him, and quietly took the backpack that was hanging on the headboard of his bed.

Zhao Yuheng likes to carry a shoulder bag, black and white striped, just like himself, cool and handsome.

Jin Bao'er tightly fastened the peach wood amulet to the zipper.

A vibrant brownish-yellow hue appears between black and white, seemingly out of place, yet exuding an indescribable festive atmosphere.

Jin Bao'er looked at the amulet and felt very happy.

This is like the mark he put on Heng Ge.

He carefully hung the backpack back in its original place.

Turning his head, he saw Zhao Yuheng lying sprawled on the bed, sleeping in a carefree posture, still only wearing black underwear.

Autumn is gradually approaching, and the wind outside the window carries a hint of coolness.

People used to wear short sleeves only under the hot sun, but now almost everyone is wearing a jacket.

Jin Bao'er was worried that he would catch a cold, so she moved a stool, stood on it, and reached out to pull a corner of Zhao Yuheng's blanket over.

He didn't cover it completely.

He knows Heng Ge too well; this guy sweats a lot, and if you cover him up completely, he'll definitely kick it off.

Jin Bao'er carefully tucked the blanket in, covering only Zhao Yuheng's strong waist and navel.

It's comfortable and not too hot.

After covering himself with the blankets, Jin Bao'er quietly got out of bed, sat down at his desk, and continued working on his scholarship application.

I've worked so hard for this scholarship, and Heng Ge has helped me so much, so I should be able to get it.

Jin Bao'er looked at the computer screen, and couldn't help but smile.

Life seems to have suddenly changed; there's something to look forward to, and something to care about.

As night deepened outside the window, the room remained warm and cozy.